The Sage -
Reading about him and his beliefs/teachings was interesting. It amazes me how some people have “it” when it comes to animals. Some people are able to “whisper” to animals and they listen. I believe this is attributed to his treating everything as nothing less than human. He eliminated the “I” in his life. He did not focus on how to possess more or become better than others. That desire was eliminated when he had his enlightenment. I chose this guru because his interaction with animals and his view of our equality with them is admirable. If we all showed that much respect to humans this world would be a better place.
The Yogi -
This guy was cool. The experience that is shared of the boil on his arm and his “prophecy” of sorts that it would appear; intriguing. The explanation of the body and soul and how avatars are used, again, intriguing. I am interested to know more about the anja chakra (the third eye-the inner vision). Will this class offer more insight to this? I chose this guru due to the fact that avitar is mentioned. It caught my eye due to how the word ties it to the movie. The meditation and leaving the body is also interesting.
The Mother -
Here we learned also about how one can meditate to get that physical and spiritual separation. It is interesting to know how one can meditate and go to another level of enlightenment or understanding. I chose this guru because, all the gurus or leaders of any religion are held up to a standard that may be too extreme. As pointed out in this section, these leaders have needs too. In this case, smoking was the need. She also taught the author that god can be found in any life form. Hence her stating, “You are my maharaj, my guru.”
The Wrestler -
The understanding of having a “pre-game warm-up” in order to focus on the interior and not exterior events was very insightful. By doing this it would help a meditating individual a head start towards their enlightenment while meditating. I chose this guru because of all the gurus in this reading I believe I would relate best to Pratap Singh. That is due to his not taking everything too serious. Laughter is one of life’s greatest joys.
The Master -
I cannot fathom speaking in front of thousands of people, let alone try to feed them. The teaching that we are all “in essence drops of love from the sea of God” is interesting. We are all trying to make our way back home to God. That is a profound teaching and it is interesting how, in my opinion, everyone is trying to make their way back home to God. Everyone has a different take on how to make it back to God, that’s why so many religions exist.
Videos -
It is interesting to me how Faqir Chand saw his guru and then when he returned to Bagdad there were others that saw him in their “visions.” His take that our mind creates images that seam to guide us through life is very interesting.
The video about Ramana Maharshi is also interesting. How does questioning one’s self continuously bring about an un-egotistical attitude? This is one teaching I do not comprehend. However, this self-questioning worked for Ramana and he has been able to share his understanding with many.
Personal Reflection -
I didn’t realize how intense meditation needs to be. I didn’t realize that through meditation one’s soul could go on to bigger and better things in another location. Of all the things that were taught in this reading, the last two guru’s stood out to me the most for two reasons.
1 - Live but laugh. Laughter is always the best medicine.
2 - Everyone is trying to make their way back to God.
